As of May 1, 2015, 387 people have been killed by police since January 1, 2015 (that's a total of 120 days.) That's 3.225 people per day, on average.
http://killedbypolice.net/
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Amnesty for all those arrested demanding justice for Freddie Gray!
Amnesty for ALL those arrested
demanding justice for Freddie Gray!
Sign and distribute the petition to drop the charges!
Spread this effort with #Amnesty4Baltimore
"A riot is the language of the unheard"
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
An
estimated 300 people have been arrested in Baltimore in the last two
weeks. Many have been brutalized, beaten and pepper-sprayed by police in
the streets, and held for days in inhumane conditions. Those arrested
include journalists, medics and legal observers.
One
individual arrested for property destruction of a police vehicle is now
facing life in prison and is being held on $500,000 bail. That's
$150,000 more than the officer charged with the murder of Freddie Gray.
The
legal system has made it clear that they care more about broken windows
than broken necks; more about a CVS than the lives of Baltimore's Black
residents.
They showed no hesitation in arresting Baltimore's
protesters and rebels, and sending in the National Guard, but took 19
days to put a single one of the killer cops in handcuffs. This was the
outrageous double standard that led to the Baltimore Uprising.
Sign the petition to drop the charges on all who have been arrested.
Petition to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Download PDF of Petitionhttp://www.answercoalition.org/amnesty_for_all_those_arrested_demanding_justice_for_freddie_gray?utm_campaign=baltimore_amn1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=answercoalition
Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake
City Hall, Room 250,
100 North Holliday St.,
Baltimore, MD 21202
Dear Mayor Rawlings-Blake:
I stand in solidarity with those in Baltimore who are demanding that all charges be dropped against those who rose up against racism, police brutality, oppressive social conditions and delay of justice in the case of Freddie Gray. The whole world now recognizes that were it not for this powerful grassroots movement, in all its forms, there would be no indictment.
It is an outrage that peaceful protesters have been brutalized, beaten and pepper-sprayed by police in the streets, and held for days in inhumane conditions. Those arrested include journalists and legal observers.
Even the youth who are charged with property destruction and looting should be given an amnesty. There is no reason a teenager -- provoked by racists and justifiably angry -- should be facing life in prison for breaking the windows of a police car.
The City of Baltimore should work to rectify the conditions that led to this Uprising, rather than criminalizing those who took action in response to those conditions. Drop the charges now!
Sincerely,
[add your name below]
I stand in solidarity with those in Baltimore who are demanding that all charges be dropped against those who rose up against racism, police brutality, oppressive social conditions and delay of justice in the case of Freddie Gray. The whole world now recognizes that were it not for this powerful grassroots movement, in all its forms, there would be no indictment.
It is an outrage that peaceful protesters have been brutalized, beaten and pepper-sprayed by police in the streets, and held for days in inhumane conditions. Those arrested include journalists and legal observers.
Even the youth who are charged with property destruction and looting should be given an amnesty. There is no reason a teenager -- provoked by racists and justifiably angry -- should be facing life in prison for breaking the windows of a police car.
The City of Baltimore should work to rectify the conditions that led to this Uprising, rather than criminalizing those who took action in response to those conditions. Drop the charges now!
Sincerely,
[add your name below]
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CANCEL ALL STUDENT DEBT!
Sign the Petition:
http://cancelallstudentdebt.com/?code=kos
Dear President Obama, Senators, and Members of Congress:
Americans now owe $1.3 trillion in student debt. Eighty-six percent of that money is owed to the United States government. This is a crushing burden for more than 40 million Americans and their families.
I urge you to take immediate action to forgive all student debt, public and private.
American Federation of Teachers
Campaign for America's Future
Courage Campaign
Daily Kos
Democracy for America
LeftAction
Project Springboard
RH Reality Check
RootsAction
Student Debt Crisis
The Nation
Working Families
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Bay Area United Against War Newsletter
Table of Contents:
A. EVENTS AND ACTIONS
B. ARTICLES IN FULL
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A. EVENTS AND ACTIONS
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STOP THE WAR ON YEMEN!
A Saudi-led coalition began waging a war on Yemen on March 25th with the pretext of attempting to restore deposed President Hadi. Armed with weapons, logistical support and intelligence from the United States, the coalition has devastated a country at the heart of Arab history, resistance and power.
Over 1,200 people have been killed, thousands injured, over 300,000 people displaced, entire neighborhoods turned into rubble, and a blockade has created catastrophic humanitarian disaster. The Bay Area is home to one of the largest Yemeni communities in the US. While their families are struggling to survive this devastation, they are calling on all to support their struggle for self determination against foreign intervention and imperialist wars. Join us in the following protest and actions in the coming days.
#HandsOffYemen
Protest the War on Yemen
Support Yemeni Self Determination
#HandsOffYemen
Join us for a discussion on the Saudi-led war and the ways for us to support Yemeni self determination.
Speakers:
As'ad Abukhalil
Ashwak Hauter
Adel Folly
#HandsOffYemen
Sunday, May 24th
2pm
518 Valencia St.
San Francisco
Event will be bilingual in English and Arabic. Interpretation will be provided.
Copyright © 2015 Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you have expressed interest in AROC news and events.
Our mailing address is:
Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC)
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
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Mumia Needs Medical Care
New Campaign Update!
The ‘Mumia Abu-Jamal Needs Medical Care NOW!’ team just posted:
1 new Announcement:
Dateline May 17th 2015:
We have not seen or spoken to Mumia Abu-Jamal for a week. He is being held incommunicado in a hospital without access to visits of any kind or the phone.
This is deeply troubling.
On Tuesday May 12th in the evening Mumia was taken from the prison to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA.
The Legal & Medical Team working 24/7.
Bret Grote, Esq, and co counsel Bob Boyle are preparing an emergency court action in Federal Court. Bret Grote, notes
"The DOC demonstrating its contempt for human rights and proper health care by holding Mumia Abu-Jamal incommunicado from his family and lawyers. Instead of recognizing the value of family support and legal consultation in protecting and improving his health, the DOC is treating Mumia like a piece of property that it can withhold access to and information about arbitrarily and with impunity. Demand that Mumia be permitted visits and phone calls "
A delegation from Collectif Français 'Libérons Mumia' from Paris, France went to the hospital & the prison. The prison guards denied their visit. On Saturday Mark Lewis Taylor, of Princeton Theological Seminary was turned away.
Keeping Our Eyes on Munia
In the past two weeks, Mumia’s doctor has identified seriously inadequacies in the medical care provided by the infirmary. Mumia’s doctor stressed that a cat scan was needed. The prison said it was fine. There were serious medical issues raised by the troubling cat scan results. Then Mumia was given a topical cream that was on the warning label counter indicated to the very specific and rare potential cancer that is a possible cause of his extreme skin ailment. Clearly, a biopsy was called for. Upon hearing that on Monday a biopsy would be conducted, Mumia’s doctor immediately specified that it should be taken from his trunk area. When Mumia told the Physician’s assistant who conducted the biopsy at the infirmary this, he could not change the standing order which was to take the biopsy from his arm.
The concern is that what might be driving the extreme skin condition is subcutaneous T cell lymphoma – a treatable cancer. Mumia was told that the physicians at SCI Mahanoy in March were prevented from ordering additional tests by officials of the Wexford Corporation that has the health care contract.
Clearly Mumia needs an immediate diagnosis, and then a competent treatment plan. Please join us in keeping Mumia alive, and then seeing him free.
Noelle Hanrahan, P.I. Director Prison Radio
https://www.indiegogo.com/individuals/585261
Take Action Now!
Demand that the Department of Corrections permit Mumia to have an examination by his doctor! Click here to call and fax the Prison and State officials and state our demands.
http://www.prisonradio.org/sites/default/files/letters/pdf/Eyes%20on%20Mumia_1.pdf
Mumia needs his own physician specialists! Please donate now to help make this possible. Please got to the web site below and give as generously as you can.
Donate at:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mumia-abu-jamal-needs-medical-care-now
and…
Sign the petition
to help save—and free—Mumia.
Go to:
https://www.change.org/p/john-e-wetzel-pa-secretary-of-corrections-tom-wolf-pa-governor-stop-the-medical-execution-of-mumia-abu-jamal-by-neglect-and-malpractice-3
Also,
We need to keep up the pressure
with phone calls:
Let SCI Mahanoy Superintendent John Kerestes and Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel know we insist that Mumia have medical specialists of his own choosing, and that they have daily access rights to examine and treat him. Also let them know that Mumia’s family needs regular and frequent visitation rights.
SCI Mahanoy
Superintendent John Kerestes
(570) 773-2158
SCI Mahanoy
Chief Health Care Administrator Steinhardt
(570) 773-2158
Christopher Oppman
Director, PA Department of Corrections Health Care Services
(717) 728-5309
John Wetzel
Secretary, PA Department of Corrections
(717) 728-4109
NO EXECUTION BY MEDICAL NEGLECT!
SAVE MUMIA'S LIFE!
Mumia is Innocent! Free Mumia Now!
This message by:
Labor Action Committee To Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
20 April 2015
Call now to demand freedom and medical care for Mumia:
Often when we call in, prison and state officials have taken their lines off the hook. Know that every action matters, even when they don't pick up. If they don't answer, please leave a voicemail:
John Wetzel, PA Secretary of Corrections: 717-728-4109
Governor Tom Wolf: 717-787-2500
SCI Mahanoy: 570-787-2500
For a full list of addresses and faxes, visit prisonradio.org
Support Prison Radio
$35 to become a member.
$50 to become a member and receive a beautiful tote bag. Or call us to special order a yoga mat bag.
$100 to become a member and receive the DVD "Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary."
$300 to become a member and bring one essay to the airwaves.
$1,000 (or $88 per month) will make you a member of our Prison Radio Freedom Circle. Thank you!
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Prison Radio has recorded Mumia and other political prisoners for over 25 years, and we are pulling out all the stops to keep these voices on the air.
Please donate today to amplify prisoners' voices far and wide beyond the bars:
Support Prison Radio: prisonradio.org/donate
Defeat SB 508: bit.ly/defendfreespeech
Copyright © Prison Radio
www,prisonradio.org 415-706-5222
Our mailing address is:
Prison Radio PO Box 411074, SF CA 94141
http://us10.campaign-archive2.com/?u=247585f092e945ff55b9a1bb2&id=e113d0b6d0&e=0107d76ccd
Donate Now
$35 is the yearly membership.
$50 will get you a beautiful tote bag (you can special order a yoga mat bag, just call us).
$100 will get the DVD "Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary"
$300 will bring one essay to the airwaves.
$1000 (or $88.83 per month) will make you a member of our Prison Radio Freedom Circle. Take a moment and Support Prison Radio
Luchando por la justicia y la libertad,
Noelle Hanrahan, Director, Prison Radio
PRISON RADIO
P.O. Box 411074 San Francisco, CA 94141
www.prisonradio.org
info@prisonradio.org 415-706-5222
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Campaign to Free Lorenzo Johnson
Lorenzo Speaks Concerning Prosecution's Brief:
JANUARY 1, 2015—The prosecutor has run away from (almost) every issue raised in my PCRA by begging the Court to dismiss everything as “untimely”. When they don’t do this, they suggest that me and my lawyers were “defamatory” towards either my former prosecutor Christopher Abruzzo or Detective Kevin Duffin, in our claims they withheld, misused or hid evidence of my Innocence, in order to secure an unjust conviction in this case. If I charged, a year ago, that about a dozen AGs (attorneys general) were involved in circulating porno via their office computers, people would’ve laughed at me, and seen me as crazy.
But, guess what? During 2014, we learned that this was the truth. How can it be defamatory to speak the truth? Notice the OAG (Office of Attorney General), never said the obvious: That AG Abruzzo didn’t inform the Defense about the relationship between his Motive Witness and his head detective (Victoria Doubs and Det. Duffin); that Det. Duffin doesn’t deny Doubs was his god-sister, and that she lived in his family home, or that he assisted her whenever she got into trouble.
Why not? Because it is true. How can you defame someone who defames himself? Mr. Christopher Abruzzo, Esq., when a member of the higher ranks of the OAG, sent and/or received copious amounts of porno to other attorneys general and beyond. What does this say about his sense of judgment? He thought enough about his behavior to resign from his post in the Governor’s Cabinet. If he thought that his behavior was okay, he’d still be sitting in the Governor’s cabinet, right? The OAG cannot honestly oppose anything we’ve argued, but they try by seeking to get the Court to do their dirty work, how? By denying an Evidentiary Hearing to prove every point we’ve claimed.
The prosecution is trying desperately to avoid dealing with the substance of my claims in Com. v. Lorenzo Johnson. So, they slander my Legal Team and blame them for defaming the good AG’s and Cops involved with this case. They try to do what is undeniable, to deny that they hid evidence from the Defense for years. They blamed me for daring to protest the hidden evidence of their malfeasance and other acts to sabotage the defense. They claim that they had an “Open File” policy with my trial counsel. But “Open File” is more than letting an attorney read something in their office. If it’s a search for the truth it must include what is turned over to the attorney, for how do we really know what was shown to her?
They say it is inconceivable that an attorney would read a file, beginning on page nine (9), and not ask for the preceding eight (8) pages. Yet, it is conceivable if trial counsel was ineffective for not demanding the record of the first eight pages. Pages that identify the State’s only witness as a “SUSPECT” in the murder for which her client was charged! How could such an attorney fail to recognize the relevance of such an issue, barring their sheer Ineffectiveness and frankly, Incompetence.
By seeking to avoid an evidentiary hearing, the prosecution seeks to avoid evidence of their wrongdoing being made plain, for all to see. If they believe I’m wrong, why not prove it? They can’t. So they shout I filed my appeal untimely, as if there can ever justly be a rule that precludes an innocent from proving his innocence! Not to mention the fact that the prosecution has failed to even mention the positive finger prints that ay my trial they said none existed. Don’t try to hide it with a lame argument about time. When isn’t there a time for truth? The prosecution should be ashamed of itself for taking this road. It is unworthy of an office that claims to seek justice.
After the trial verdict The Patriot-News (March 18, 1997) reported, “Deputy Attorney General Christopher Abruzzo admitted there were some serious concerns about the strength of the evidence against Johnson and praised the jury for doing a thorough job.” I guess he forgot to mention all of the evidence he left out to show Innocence.
Now, more than ever, Lorenzo Johnson needs your support.
Publicize his case; bring it to your friends, clubs, religious
and social organizations.
SIGN LORENZO JOHNSON'S FREEDOM PETITION
http://www.freelorenzojohnson.org/sign-the-petition.html
CONTRIBUTE TO LORENZO'S CAMPAIGN FOR FREEDOM!
http://www.freelorenzojohnson.org/how-can-i-help.html
Write: Lorenzo Johnson, DF 1036
SCI Mahanoy
301 Morea Rd.
Frackville, PA 17932
Email: Lorenzo Johnson through JPAY.com code:
Lorenzo Johnson DF 1036 PA DOC
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Join the Fight to Free Rev. Pinkney!
Click HERE to view in browser
http://www.iacenter.org/prisoners/freepinkney-1-28-15/
On December 15, 2014 the Rev. Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor, Michigan was thrown into prison for 2.5 to 10 years. This 66-year-old leading African American activist was tried and convicted in front of an all-white jury and racist white judge and prosecutor for supposedly altering 5 dates on a recall petition against the mayor of Benton Harbor.
The prosecutor, with the judge’s approval, repeatedly told the jury “you don’t need evidence to convict Mr. Pinkney.” And ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE WAS EVER PRESENTED THAT TIED REV. PINKNEY TO THE ‘ALTERED’ PETITIONS. Rev. Pinkney was immediately led away in handcuffs and thrown into Jackson Prison.
This is an outrageous charge. It is an outrageous conviction. It is an even more outrageous sentence! It must be appealed.
With your help supporters need to raise $20,000 for Rev. Pinkney’s appeal.
Checks can be made out to BANCO (Black Autonomy Network Community Organization). This is the organization founded by Rev. Pinkney. Mail them to: Mrs. Dorothy Pinkney, 1940 Union Street, Benton Harbor, MI 49022.
Donations can be accepted on-line at bhbanco.org – press the donate button.
For information on the decade long campaign to destroy Rev. Pinkney go to bhbanco.org and workers.org(search “Pinkney”).
We urge your support to the efforts to Free Rev. Pinkney!Ramsey Clark – Former U.S. attorney general,
Cynthia McKinney – Former member of U.S. Congress,
Lynne Stewart – Former political prisoner and human rights attorney
Ralph Poynter – New Abolitionist Movement,
Abayomi Azikiwe – Editor, Pan-African News Wire<
Larry Holmes – Peoples Power Assembly,
David Sole – Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice
Sara Flounders – International Action Center
MESSAGE FROM REV. PINKNEY
I am now in Marquette prison over 15 hours from wife and family, sitting in prison for a crime that was never committed. Judge Schrock and Mike Sepic both admitted there was no evidence against me but now I sit in prison facing 30 months. Schrock actually stated that he wanted to make an example out of me. (to scare Benton Harbor residents even more...) ONLY IN AMERICA. I now have an army to help fight Berrien County. When I arrived at Jackson state prison on Dec. 15, I met several hundred people from Detroit, Flint, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids. Some people recognized me. There was an outstanding amount of support given by the prison inmates. When I was transported to Marquette Prison it took 2 days. The prisoners knew who I was. One of the guards looked me up on the internet and said, "who would believe Berrien County is this racist."
Background to Campaign to free Rev. Pinkney
Michigan political prisoner the Rev. Edward Pinkney is a victim of racist injustice. He was sentenced to 30 months to 10 years for supposedly changing the dates on 5 signatures on a petition to recall Benton Harbor Mayor James Hightower.
No material or circumstantial evidence was presented at the trial that would implicate Pinkney in the purported5 felonies. Many believe that Pinkney, a Berrien County activist and leader of the Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO), is being punished by local authorities for opposing the corporate plans of Whirlpool Corp, headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
In 2012, Pinkney and BANCO led an “Occupy the PGA [Professional Golfers’ Association of America]” demonstration against a world-renowned golf tournament held at the newly created Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The course was carved out of Jean Klock Park, which had been donated to the city of Benton Harbor decades ago.
Berrien County officials were determined to defeat the recall campaign against Mayor Hightower, who opposed a program that would have taxed local corporations in order to create jobs and improve conditions in Benton Harbor, a majority African-American municipality. Like other Michigan cities, it has been devastated by widespread poverty and unemployment.
The Benton Harbor corporate power structure has used similar fraudulent charges to stop past efforts to recall or vote out of office the racist white officials, from mayor, judges, prosecutors in a majority Black city. Rev Pinkney who always quotes scripture, as many Christian ministers do, was even convicted for quoting scripture in a newspaper column. This outrageous conviction was overturned on appeal. We must do this again!
To sign the petition in support of the Rev. Edward Pinkney, log on to: tinyurl.com/ps4lwyn.
Contributions for Rev. Pinkney’s defense can be sent to BANCO at Mrs Dorothy Pinkney, 1940 Union St., Benton Harbor, MI 49022
Or you can donate on-line at bhbanco.org.
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COURAGE TO RESIST
http://couragetoresist.org/
New Action- write letters to DoD officials requesting clemency for Chelsea!
November 24, 2014 by the Chelsea Manning Support Network
Secretary of the Army John McHugh
President Obama has delegated review of Chelsea Manning’s clemency appeal to individuals within the Department of Defense.
Please write them to express your support for heroic WikiLeaks’ whistle-blower former US Army intelligence analyst PFC Chelsea Manning’s release from military prison.
It is important that each of these authorities realize the wide support that Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning enjoys worldwide. They need to be reminded that millions understand that Manning is a political prisoner, imprisoned for following her conscience. While it is highly unlikely that any of these individuals would independently move to release Manning, a reduction in Manning’s outrageous 35-year prison sentence is a possibility at this stage.
Take action TODAY – Write letters supporting Chelsea’s clemency petition to the following DoD authorities:
Secretary of the Army John McHugh
101 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0101
The Judge Advocate General
2200 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-2200
Army Clemency and Parole Board
251 18th St, Suite 385
Arlington, VA 22202-3532
Directorate of Inmate Administration
Attn: Boards Branch
U.S. Disciplinary Barracks
1301 N. Warehouse Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2304
Suggestions for letters send to DoD officials:
The letter should focus on your support for Chelsea Manning, and especially why you believe justice will be served if Chelsea Manning’s sentence is reduced. The letter should NOT be anti-military as this will be unlikely to help.
A suggested message: “Chelsea Manning has been punished enough for violating military regulations in the course of being true to her conscience. I urge you to use your authorityto reduce Pvt. Manning’s sentence to time served.” Beyond that general message, feel free to personalize the details as to why you believe Chelsea deserves clemency.
Consider composing your letter on personalized letterhead -you can create this yourself (here are templates and some tips for doing that).
A comment on this post will NOT be seen by DoD authorities–please send your letters to the addresses above
This clemency petition is separate from Chelsea Manning’s upcoming appeal before the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals next year, where Manning’s new attorney Nancy Hollander will have an opportunity to highlight the prosecution’s—and the trial judge’s—misconduct during last year’s trial at Ft. Meade, Maryland.
Help us continue to cover 100% of Chelsea’s legal fees at this critical stage!
Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Ave. #41
Oakland, CA 94610
510-488-3559
couragetoresist.org
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B. ARTICLES IN FULL
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1) U.S. Military Space Plane Begins a Fourth (Mostly) Secret Mission
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2) Two Rikers Inmates Accuse Guard of Repeated Rapes
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3) Five Banks to Pay Billions and Plead Guilty in Currency and Interest Rate Cases [BUT NO JAIL TIME!]
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4) Justice Dept. Faults Two Mississippi Jails
"In one case, a 13-year-old middle school student was held for 70 days past his court-ordered release date."
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5) Six Baltimore Officers Indicted in Death of Freddie Gray
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/us/six-baltimore-officers-indicted-in-death-of-freddie-gray.html?ref=us
A grand jury in Baltimore has indicted six police officers on homicide and assault charges in the death of Freddie Gray, who was fatally injured last month in police custody, the city’s chief prosecutor said Thursday.
The charges announced by Marilyn J. Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore City, do not differ greatly from those she initially filed against the officers. But getting a grand jury to agree and deliver an indictment is a milestone in a case that has generated national attention.
The case of Mr. Gray, 25 — who was arrested and injured on April 12 and died a week later — was one in a string of recent encounters around the country in which young black men have died at the hands of the police, prompting protests, arguments about the role of race in law enforcement and claims that police practices are deeply flawed.
After Mr. Gray’s death, the Justice Department began a civil rights investigation into the Baltimore Police Department.
Rioting and looting broke out in Baltimore after Mr. Gray’s funeral. For several days, the city was under curfew and was patrolled by National Guard troops.
Ms. Mosby made no comment on the indictment, except to say that it was normal for a list of charges to evolve along with a criminal case. She declined to take questions.
Lawyers for the six officers, who are free on bail, have called the prosecution’s case weak, filed for dismissal of the charges and argued that Ms. Mosby has conflicts of interest and should be removed from the case.
Mr. Gray was arrested after running from officers, who found a knife in his pocket that they said was illegal — Ms. Mosby later said it was not — and arrested him and called a police van to transport him. By the time the van delivered him to a police station, Mr. Gray had suffered catastrophic damage to his spine and was not breathing.
Officials have said the injury probably occurred during that ride.
In the indictment, as in the initial charges Ms. Mosby announced May 1, Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., who was driving the van, faces the most serious charge: second-degree “depraved heart” murder, which carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
Officer Goodson, Officer William G. Porter, Lt. Brian Rice and Sgt. Alicia White were indicted on a manslaughter charge, with a maximum 10-year sentence — also unchanged from the earlier charges.
All six officers, including Officer Edward M. Nero and Officer Garrett E. Miller, still face second-degree assault charges, also punishable by up to 10 years, though some counts have been dropped. All six were indicted on a charge of reckless endangerment, a crime that was not included in the earlier charges, and misconduct in office, as well.
Initially, Ms. Mosby charged three of the officers with false imprisonment, claiming that they had no legitimate grounds for arresting Mr. Gray. But those charges, which experts said raised issues about how much discretion the police have to detain people, are not in the indictment.
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6) Family of Akai Gurley, Man Fatally Shot by Officer in Brooklyn, Sues New York City
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7) Get Ready: Protesters Vow to 'Flood the System' for Climate and Planetary Justice
Rising
Tide North America calls for mass actions this fall 'to shut down the
economic and political systems threatening our survival'
"We need
to wash away the root causes of climate change—capitalism, white
supremacy, patriarchy and colonialism," reads the group's call-to-action.
"These systems enable the domination of people and Earth. They place
gains for the elite before the well being of our communities." By Sarah Lazare
Thursday, May 21, 2015
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/21/get-ready-protesters-vow-flood-system-climate-and-planetary-justice
From the tar sands of Alberta to the Port of Seattle to the communities in the blast zone of oil trains, organizers across North America are calling for a "wave of resistance" this fall to "shut down the economic and political systems threatening our survival."
Under the banner of "Flood the System," the announcement was unveiled Wednesday by Rising Tide North America, part of an international climate justice network. The mass actions, slated for September and November, are timed to lead up to the United Nations COP21 climate negotiations slated to take place in Paris in November and December.
Organizers say they are targeting the international gathering in order to highlight exactly what is not working. "[T]he UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process has been co-opted by elite interests and... any Paris outcomes will be insufficient to meaningfully address the climate crisis and ensure justice for the majority of the world’s people," declares a press statement.
But the real target goes far beyond any one event or body. "We need to wash away the root causes of climate change—capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and colonialism," reads the group's call-to-action. "These systems enable the domination of people and Earth. They place gains for the elite before the well being of our communities."
So as people from around the world mobilize and demand meaningful change at the talks in Paris, and highlight grassroots solutions, Flood the System will stage direct actions across North America.
Sandy Nurse, organizer with the New York City chapter of Rising Tide, told Common Dreams that the network is urging people to plan their own actions locally and coordinate regionally and continentally through spokescouncils—formed when affinity groups come together around a common purpose. Nurse said that, while actions are not yet public, "there are a lot of ideas. Groups might block oil trains, they might block fossil fuel destruction."
Organizers in the U.S. and Canada are having "initial conversations" with groups in Mexico about the coordinated actions.
If past actions are any indication, Flood the System will make a big splash.
Rising Tide Seattle is one of the organizations behind last week's series of direct actions—by land and sea—to protest Shell Oil's arctic drilling fleet in the Port of Seattle.
Furthermore, many of those organizing Flood the System were involved in last year's more than 400,000-strong People's Climate March in New York City, followed by the "Flood Wall Street" demonstration and sit-in attended by thousands in the financial district of lower Manhattan—the hub of global capitalism.
Organizers say Flood the System looks to other movements for inspiration, especially those "led by low-wage workers, immigrants, and communities responding to police brutality," with many Rising Tide organizers directly involved in, or allying with, these various struggles."
"There is a sense that there is so much happening right now that is powerful and empowering from the grassroots," said Nurse. "People are expressing anger, taking to the streets, not fearful, and very activated in a way that has caught the imagination of the entire country and many places around the world."
"Communities on the front lines of fossil fuel extraction are fighting back," said Ahmed Gaya, an organizer with Rising Tide Seattle, in a statement. "From Seattle, to Alberta, to Appalachia, people are organized in opposition to extraction, and taking action to uproot the systems driving the crisis."
From the tar sands of Alberta to the Port of Seattle to the communities in the blast zone of oil trains, organizers across North America are calling for a "wave of resistance" this fall to "shut down the economic and political systems threatening our survival."
Under the banner of "Flood the System," the announcement was unveiled Wednesday by Rising Tide North America, part of an international climate justice network. The mass actions, slated for September and November, are timed to lead up to the United Nations COP21 climate negotiations slated to take place in Paris in November and December.
Organizers say they are targeting the international gathering in order to highlight exactly what is not working. "[T]he UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process has been co-opted by elite interests and... any Paris outcomes will be insufficient to meaningfully address the climate crisis and ensure justice for the majority of the world’s people," declares a press statement.
But the real target goes far beyond any one event or body. "We need to wash away the root causes of climate change—capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and colonialism," reads the group's call-to-action. "These systems enable the domination of people and Earth. They place gains for the elite before the well being of our communities."
So as people from around the world mobilize and demand meaningful change at the talks in Paris, and highlight grassroots solutions, Flood the System will stage direct actions across North America.
Sandy Nurse, organizer with the New York City chapter of Rising Tide, told Common Dreams that the network is urging people to plan their own actions locally and coordinate regionally and continentally through spokescouncils—formed when affinity groups come together around a common purpose. Nurse said that, while actions are not yet public, "there are a lot of ideas. Groups might block oil trains, they might block fossil fuel destruction."
Organizers in the U.S. and Canada are having "initial conversations" with groups in Mexico about the coordinated actions.
If past actions are any indication, Flood the System will make a big splash.
Rising Tide Seattle is one of the organizations behind last week's series of direct actions—by land and sea—to protest Shell Oil's arctic drilling fleet in the Port of Seattle.
Furthermore, many of those organizing Flood the System were involved in last year's more than 400,000-strong People's Climate March in New York City, followed by the "Flood Wall Street" demonstration and sit-in attended by thousands in the financial district of lower Manhattan—the hub of global capitalism.
Organizers say Flood the System looks to other movements for inspiration, especially those "led by low-wage workers, immigrants, and communities responding to police brutality," with many Rising Tide organizers directly involved in, or allying with, these various struggles."
"There is a sense that there is so much happening right now that is powerful and empowering from the grassroots," said Nurse. "People are expressing anger, taking to the streets, not fearful, and very activated in a way that has caught the imagination of the entire country and many places around the world."
"Communities on the front lines of fossil fuel extraction are fighting back," said Ahmed Gaya, an organizer with Rising Tide Seattle, in a statement. "From Seattle, to Alberta, to Appalachia, people are organized in opposition to extraction, and taking action to uproot the systems driving the crisis."
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8) Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad!
Report on the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) conference held May 8-10, 2015 in Secaucus, New Jersey
—The United National
Antiwar Coalition, May 22, 2015
http://nepajac.org/UNAC_052015.html
Against a background of seemingly endless
U.S. wars abroad and growing domestic movements against racist police
killings, low wages and devastating climate change, more than 400
activists gathered just outside New York City May 8-10 for a “Stop the
Wars at Home and Abroad!” conference that ratified an Action Plan
addressing both domestic and international issues. Sponsored by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), the conference, held at a hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey, brought together a wide range of activists, from those who primarily concentrate on international issues to mostly younger activists in the emerging movements such as Black Lives Matter, Fight for $15 and environmental change.
Conference delegates came from 29 states, as well as Canada, Britain, Germany and Ukraine. A number of now-U.S.-based activists represented struggles in their home countries of Colombia, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Mexico, Palestine, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Syria and Venezuela also attended.
Solidarity messages were received from Cuba, Ireland, New Zealand and Russia.
A total of 116 organizations participated in the conference. There were more than 100 speakers, more than half of whom were people of color and women. There were six plenary sessions, 31 workshops and a Saturday night “Tribunal on the Militarization of the Police and Structural Racism.”
Linking up the issues
While UNAC conferences have always addressed domestic issues, this one was unique in that it was the first time a national antiwar gathering so clearly took up the need to oppose the war being waged against oppressed communities in the United States. A central theme of many panels and workshops was support for the resistance of Black youth standing up to the epidemic of police brutality.
In the opening plenary session, Jaribu Hill, founder of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights, delivered a stirring call for solidarity with young activists. Declaring that resistance to the status quo is the only way forward, she called the youth who rebelled in Baltimore “young Steve Bikos and Harriet Tubmans.”
Another especially dynamic speaker was Lawrence Hamm, founder and Chair of the People’s Organization for Progress (POP) in Newark, New Jersey Explaining that we are really fighting one war on many fronts, Hamm called on those present to oppose “all U.S. boots on the ground, defeat the Trans-Pacific Partnership, fight union busting and other attacks on the working class at home and challenge white-supremacist attacks on Black and Brown people!”
As part of the conference’s Action Plan, participants endorsed the POP-initiated “Million People’s March Against Racial Injustice and Economic Inequality” planned for July 25 in Newark.
Other New Jersey organizations with speakers at the conference included Action 21, the Jersey City Peace Movement and New Jersey Peace Action.
Opposing the wars abroad
On the international front, conference participants heard from longtime antiwar activist Kathy Kelly of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, who recently completed a three-month prison sentence for protesting U.S. drone warfare. Kelly compared the reaction of the U.S. public to reports of beheadings by the extremist group ISIS to its muted reaction to the murder of thousands of surrendering Iraqi soldiers in 1991 and the deaths of more than a half-million Iraqi children from U.S.-imposed sanctions.Other antiwar speakers included Kazem Azin of Solidarity Iran; Medea Benjamin of Code Pink; Maurice Carney of the Friends of the Congo; Bruce Gagnon of Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space; Malachy Kilbride of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance; Ed Kinane of the Upstate (New York) Drone Action Network; Ray LaForest of Haiti Support Network; David Swanson of WarBeyondWar.org; and Kevin Zeese of PopularResistance.org.
The conference also heard from retired U.S. Colonel Ann Wright, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and former U.S. State Department official Peter Van Buren, all of whom are now prominent opponents of U.S. wars.
A message from Cuba
The entire conference was exciting, but there were several especially high points.On Saturday afternoon, the conference received a message from Kenia Serrano Puig, President of the Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos (Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples, or ICAP), an NGO established in 1960 soon after the Cuban Revolution. The message opened by stating “The work UNAC does in USA in the struggle for social justice and against military interventions in other nations is a topic of utmost importance.”[1]
Several Ukrainian activists attended, including three from Odessa who brought a photo display of the murderous, right-wing attack on the House of Labor in that city. The Ukrainians spoke at a plenary session and in a workshop on the expansion of NATO and the situation in Ukraine.
On Saturday evening, the “Tribunal on the Militarization of the Police and Structural Racism” heard from Michelle Kamal, whose son was murdered by police. Other tribunal presenters included Manzoor Cheema of Muslims for Social Justice in Raleigh, North Carolina; Larry Holmes from the People’s Power Assemblies; and the Reverand Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou from Ferguson, Mossouri.
Solidarity with the struggles at home
The theme of “Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad” was first used by UNAC at its founding conference in 2010 to oppose attacks on the Muslim community that were part of the phony U.S. “war on terror.” Today this war at home is increasingly impacting Black and Brown communities, working people and their unions and the civil liberties of everyone.By featuring voices from communities under attack here at home, UNAC and the antiwar movement made an important political turn that solidly places us in the camp of those fighting the militarization of the police, mass incarceration, climate disaster and attacks on civil liberties, while drawing the connections between those struggles and the increasing U.S. wars and U.S. proxy wars abroad.
In keeping with this central theme of the conference, domestic issues were well represented.
Clarence Thomas of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10 spoke about how his local shut down San Francisco-area ports this past May Day in support of the urban rebellions against police killings. In the past, the local has gone out on strike against the U.S. war in Iraq, apartheid in South Africa and in support of U.S. political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Other speakers for workers’ rights included John Dennie of National Postal Mail Handlers Union Local 300, a founder of the Postal Defenders coalition and an organizer for the “Stop Staples” campaign; Chris Hutchinson of Teamsters Local 671 and the Connecticut Community Committee of “Fight for $15”; Charles Jenkins, President of the New York Chapter of the National Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; Shafeah M’Balia of North Carolina-based Black Workers for Justice; and Rolandah Cleopattrah McMillan of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality, representing Virginia Raise Up and the “Fight for $15 and a Union” campaign.
And attending the conference were several members of United Steelworkers Local 8751, which represents Boston school bus drivers. This union had recently beaten back a vicious company-inspired frame-up of several of its leaders, who then went on to win re-election in a landslide victory. Recently-elected local President Andre Francois addressed the conference, surrounded by union members.
Marilyn Zuniga, a teacher from Orange, New Jersey, who was recently fired after some of her students wrote get-well cards to ailing Mumia Abu-Jamal, won support from the conference for her fight to regain her job.
Other speakers addressing important domestic issues were Gerry Condon of Veterans for Peace; Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report; Imani Keith Henry of The Equality for Flatbush (New York) Project (E4F); Cheri Honkala of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign; climate change author and activist Antonia Juhasz; and John Parker, a leader in the Los Angeles ballot initiative to win a $15 minimum wage.
As in past UNAC conferences, Muslims fighting for social change played important roles. These included Malik Mujahid of the Muslim Peace Coalition and Chairman of the Parliament of World’s Religions; Sharmin Sadequee of the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms; Manzoor Cheema, founder of Muslims for Social Justice; as well as members of Project SALAM, which works on issues of pre-emptive prosecution of Muslims. Joe Iosbaker, a member of the Antiwar Committee-Chicago, himself a target of FBI repression, spoke about the case of Palestinian-American political prisoner Rasmea Odeh.
The “Free Political Prisoners” panel heard about the cases of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui of Pakistan; Simon Trinidad of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia); and Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Louis Rivera, who for four years was a U.S. prison cellmate of Fernando Gonzalez, one of the Cuban 5.[2]
Also speaking on this panel was attorney and former political prisoner Lynne Stewart. Pam Africa spoke about the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the MOVE commune in Philadelphia and the continuing case of U.S. political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. The conference endorsed MOVE’s May 13 rally on the anniversary of the bombing.
National and international speakers, culture and resolutions
Other speakers at the conference included former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney; Born King Allah of the Nation of Gods and Earths; “Addicted to War” author Joel Adreas; Palestinian author and activist Susan Abulhawa; Johnny Achi of Arab Americans for Syria; Abayomi Azikiwe of the Pan-African News Wire; William Camacaro of the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle; Dr. Ghias Moussa of the Syrian American Forum; and U.S.-based Honduran activist Lucy Pagoada-Quesada, among others.International speakers included Elizabeth Byce of the New Democratic Party of Canada, Socialist Caucus; Chris Nineham of the U.K. Stop the Wars Coalition; and Elsa Rassbach of the German National Drone Campaign, which is demanding the closing of the Satellite Relay Station at the U.S. Air Base Ramstein and the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Stuttgart. A Yemeni family that lost members from a U.S. drone strike has filed a law suit against the German government to be heard on May 27, 2015 for allowing Ramstein to be used; U.S. solidarity protests have been called.
A statement of solidarity to the conference was received from the Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) in Vancouver, Canada.
Also addressing the conference were central UNAC leaders Judy Bello of the Upstate (New York) Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars; Ana Edwards and Phil Wilayto of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality; Bernadette Ellorin of BAYAN USA; Sara Flounders of the International Action Center; Joe Iosbaker of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression; Margaret Kimberley of Black Agenda Report; Jeff Mackler of Bay Area UNAC; and UNAC Co-Coordinators Marilyn Levin and Joe Lombardo.
People’s culture was represented by the Hip Hop duo Rebel Diaz, the Filipino dance group Potri Ranka Manis and Syrian poet Avin Dirki. The conference was opened with a poem by Raymond Nat Turner of Black Agenda Report.
A full list of speakers can be found at the conference website: http://UNACconference2015.org.
From education to action
The Action Resolution passed at the final conference session included a call for coordinated antiwar and social justice actions in October; support for Black Lives Matter and other anti-racist, pro-women and pro-LGBTQ groups calling for actions on May 21; support for a call for a national presence on September 19 in Richmond, Virgenia, to defend slavery-related sites threatened by for-profit development; support for the “Fight for $15 and a Union” movement; support for international actions planned to protest the expected and tragic failure of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 21 or Conference of Parties) set for Paris, France; and a resolution supporting Iran’s Red Crescent ship taking humanitarian supplies to challenge the U.S. and Saudi Arabian blockade of Yemen, among others.[3]The conference was live-streamed by GoProRadio.com, enabling many more people who were not able to attend to follow the proceedings. Much of the conference can be seen on video from GoProRadio.com and provided below.
Videos of many of the sessions can be found at:
http://nepajac.org/conferencevid.htm
All in all, the conference was unique for the antiwar movement. Not only was it the most diverse antiwar conference in memory, it also helped bring the antiwar movement together with the other developing movements for social change. In doing so, it identified our common enemy and our determination to fight together for justice and peace.
About UNAC
Founded in 2010, UNAC is now the largest antiwar coalition in the United States, with nearly 120 member organizations opposing U.S. wars in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America and the Caribbean.UNAC’s unifying principles are opposition to all U.S. wars, interventions, sanctions, blockades or interference in the internal affairs of other countries; opposition to the wars at home, as addressed at this conference; support for the right of oppressed peoples to self-determination; promotion of mass actions as the primary, but not only, method of struggle; independence from the two major political parties; and a democratic decision-making process.
For more information on UNAC:
http://UNACpeace.org
For videos of much of the conference:
http://nepajac.org/conferencevid.htm
—The United National Antiwar Coalition, May 22, 2015
http://nepajac.org/UNAC_052015.html
[1]
http://nepajac.org/cuba.htm
[2]
http://nepajac.org/oscar.htm
[3]
http://nepajac.org/actionproposal2015.htm
UNAC Action Plan 2015
United National Antiwar Coalition Action Plan adopted by UNAC Conference May 8-10, 2015
Political Goals, Objectives and Mission
The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) opposes all U.S. wars, whether they be in the form of direct military intervention with troops on the ground, privatized death squad wars, drone wars on every continent, sanctions and embargo wars, U.S.-backed military coups, “humanitarian interventions,” the U.S.-backed and-financed Israeli wars against the Palestinian people and the myriad of other modes of intervention and conquest that deny oppressed peoples the right to freedom and self-determination. We demand an end to it all: the war machine, the weapons of mass destruction, the trillions spent on advancing imperialist interests and the associated devastation perpetrated on poor and working people the world over. We demand: U.S. Hands Off and Out Now—from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Iran, Ukraine and Beyond. Bring All the Troops Home Now and Dissemble Weapons of War! Trillions for Human Needs—Not One Penny for War!
UNAC similarly opposes the ongoing and deepening wars against poor and working people at home, including the militarization of the police; the racist mass-incarceration criminal “justice” system; the war-profiteering military-industrial complex; the ever-privatized, for-profit and slave labor prison-industrial complex; the deepening racist attacks and mass deportation of immigrants; racist persecution of Muslim communities; vicious and virtually unpunished racist police murders of African-American, Latino and Native American peoples; massive ever-intensifying austerity—assaults on wages, massive cutbacks of social services, massive student debt, unending tuition hikes, deterioration and re-segregation of public education—union busting; the oppression, exploitation and brutality waged against women; the government-promoted homophobic attacks on the LGBT community; the fossil-fuel, war-induced global warming and associated looming climatic catastrophe; and the wholesale police-state-like surveillance measures that increasingly obliterate civil and democratic rights. The U.S. needs a national urban policy that promotes sustainability of human life, rather than the profits of finance capital.
The U.S. wars abroad and the wars at home are inseparable aspects of a society that requires the subordination of human needs to the private profit interests of the bailed-out and enriched (at public expense) banks, corporations and multibillionaire elite. We hail the emergence of new anti-racist and working-class forces that have demonstrated vibrant leadership capacities, from Black Lives Matter and the myriad of other anti-racist fighters to the ever-resurgent Palestinian community mobilizations against the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians to the recent International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10 work stoppage in solidarity with their Black and Brown sisters and brothers who have been the prime victims of rampant police brutality and murder.
Our method of struggle looks to the broad mass of working people and their allies as the primary agency of social change. The history of all social movement victories is a history of the unification of the working masses and oppressed to advance their own needs and interests. UNAC strives to advance the unity of the antiwar and social justice movements in united, independent, inclusive and democratically planned mass actions to demonstrate the power of the working masses and achieve fundamental social and political change. We support a broad range of actions, including nonviolent direct action, lobbying and petitioning and we stand in solidarity with community resistance and rebellion against race and class oppression.
Actions initiated and endorsed by UNAC
UNAC initiated actions
October 4-10, 2015, National: UNAC will initiate and collaborate with all interested organizations and groups in organizing a week of united and broadly sponsored local and regional activities (rallies, marches, teach-ins, vigils, etc.) to advance the above goals and objectives during the week of October 4-10 and culminating on Saturday, October 10. This time period corresponds to the beginning of the now-14-year-old U.S. war against Afghanistan, which with the U.S. wars in Iraq, Libya and so many other countries have caused enormous suffering abroad while draining this country of the resources critically needed to address problems here at home. In this effort we welcome the emerging and critical layers of youthful anti-racist activists who have served to revitalize today’s social struggles and who will be planning campus and community-based actions in collaboration with UNAC.
UNAC tour to Cuba: UNAC will consider organizing a tour to Cuba to exchange ideas with Cuban and international antiwar and social justice activists.
UNAC National Tour: UNAC will explore possibilities of organizing a national tour of prominent antiwar and social justice leaders as we did with Malalai Joya in 2013.
Actions endorsed by UNAC
· May: UNAC offers full support to the Red Crescent Society of Iran sailing a rescue mission to Yemen to bring urgently needed supplies of medicine, rice and flour to the people of Yemen under siege and blockade by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries and fully backed by the U.S. The ship’s crew of 50 men includes internationals from the U.S., France, and Germany. We demand that the ship be allowed to reach the desperate Yemeni population to deliver its supplies intact and that the ship and its crew are allowed to arrive safely. Any interference and/or violence would be a criminal act in violation of international law.
· May 12, Orange, New Jersey: UNAC calls for the reinstatement and contract renewal of Marilyn Zuniga, the Orange, New Jersey teacher suspended from her third grade classroom at the behest of the Fraternal Order of Police for forwarding her students’ get well letters to Mumia Abu Jamal. We endorse and encourage efforts to this end, including a mobilization at the May 12th meeting of the Orange Board of Education.
· May 13, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: UNAC will support the program and mass rally to mark the 30th anniversary of the police bombing of MOVE. Sponsored by the MOVE organization, which is still fighting for the release of the MOVE 9. http://onamove.com
· May 19, Detroit: UNAC endorses the Michigan Emergency Committee against War and Injustice and other groups’ action at the shareholders meeting of the J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and other actions targeting the Bank. J.P. Morgan Chase is playing a leading role in home foreclosures nationally, causing senseless destruction in Detroit most of all.
· May 21, 2015 National: Black Lives Matter and others anti-racist youth and social justice groups have set May 21 as a national action day for women, trans and LGBTQ victims of police violence. UNAC will help publicize and support these events and will continue to support other actions against racism and police violence.
· May 26, National: UNAC supports the demands raised by people in Germany that the German government close the Satellite Relay Station at the U.S. Air Base Ramstein in Germany, which plays an essential role in all U.S. drone surveillance and drone strikes in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa and elsewhere, and close the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Stuttgart, which is the Pentagon's central command responsible for planning and carrying out all U.S. interventions, including drone killings, in Africa. UNAC will endorse the German call for vigils (on May 26th in the U.S. and on May 27th in Germany) in solidarity with the bin Ali Jaber family of Yemen, two of whose members were killed by a U.S. drone in 2012; the family has filed a court case against the German government for allowing Ramstein to be used for the illegal U.S. drone strikes. UNAC will also support further actions in the Ramstein/AFRICOM campaign in coordination with German activists.
· May 30, New York, New York: March and rally to free Oscar Lopez Rivera, beginning his 34th year of imprisonment on that day for his participation in Puerto Rico’s independence movement. May 30th Coalition to Free Oscar Lopez www.freeoscarnycmay30.org.
· July 25, Newark, New Jersey: Million People's March Against Police Brutality, Racial Injustice and Economic Inequality. Sponsored by the People's Organization for Progress. UNAC will endorse and support this mobilization. http://njpop.org/wordpress/?p=1896
· September, Richmond, Virgenia: UNAC will support the local call for a national presence in Richmond to demand the reclamation and memorialization of sites central to the U.S. slave trade. Sponsored by the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project of the Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality. http://www.sacredgroundproject.net Contact: Ana Edwards: ourrosewood@gmail.com
· September, Cincinnati: UNAC supports the call for Justice for Palestinian-American community leader Rasmea Odeh. The appeal of her conviction will take place in Cincinnati in September. We join with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and the Rasmea Defense Committee to pack the courthouse when the appeal occurs. www.stopfbi.net; www.uspcn.org
· October 4-10, National: UNAC will support the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space that has set the same week, October 4-10, for coordinated protests. (http://www.space4peace.org—Contact: Bruce Gagnon: globalnet@mindspring.com)
· November-December, International: International actions are being planned to protest the expected and tragic failure of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP 21 or Conference of Parties) set for Paris, France, where no binding agreements are anticipated to stop Planet Earth from reaching a two-degree Centigrade mean temperature rise wherein the disastrous results will be irreversible. UNAC will support and help build U.S.-based actions on this critical question and will speak to the endless oil wars being fought over the very fuel whose continued use spells doom for humankind.
Ongoing actions endorsed by UNAC
· National: Support campaign to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal that threaten jobs, wages, the environment and more in our communities and around the world. Tell Congress NO on Fast Track!
· National: UNAC supports the courageous efforts fighting the war on workers by low wage workers fighting for $15 and a union and will help mobilize for the next Fight for $15 general strike and all efforts to win a livable wage, both domestically and internationally. UNAC realizes that a true livable wage would exceed $15 per hour.
· National: UNAC will continue its solidarity with Mumia Abu-Jamal in his struggle for freedom and for the immediate medical attention today required to remediate the prison medical neglect that has placed Mumia’s very life in immediate jeopardy. UNAC supports the work of organizations working to free all political prisoners in the United States.
· National: UNAC will support and participate in acts of resistance in immediate response to police murders and anniversaries of murders.
· National: UNAC acknowledges the role that media plays in political organizing and calls on all supporters to find ways to coordinate their activities to amplify the value of them and to make the media more useful to the efforts of the movements we support.
· National: Support actions calling for an end to the Cuba embargo blockade and to close the U.S. base in Guantanamo.
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9) Cleveland Officer Acquitted of Manslaughter in 2012 Deaths
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10) Gentrification Spreads an Upheaval in San Francisco’s Mission District
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11) G.M. Inquiry Said to Find Criminal Wrongdoing
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12) Fighting Pollution From Microbeads Used in Soaps and Creams
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13) Cleveland Police Officer Acquitted of Manslaughter in 2012 Deaths
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14) Defendants Using Biographical Videos to Show Judges Another Side at Sentencing
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